For years, it has been a problem to ship long poles such as flagpoles and light poles for highway lights. For this reason, these poles have been cut into two sections. The poles are of tapered design, and this accentuates the problem of splicing the two sections together. The problem is not only one of positively splicing the poles together with sufficient strength to withstand the stresses produced by high winds but is also an appearance problem. The poles are usually made of aluminum and are frequently anodized, which requires uniformity of chemical composition to produce a uniform color coating. The industry has worked continuously for more than thirty years to develop a connection joint which will be substantially invisible when completed.